Piper PA-28-140 N945RH
13 April 2009 · Dubois, Wyoming, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 13 April 2009 at about 21:10 local time, a Piper PA-28-140 registered N945RH, operated by Donald S. Ballard, was involved in an accident near Dubois, Wyoming, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Dubois, Wyoming, United States
- Coordinates
- 43.7522, -110.0672
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-28-140
- Registration
- N945RH
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Donald S. Ballard
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Converse County → Idaho falls
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR09CA193
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's encounter with a windshear/downdraft that exceeded the climb performance capabilities of the airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was following a highway to the northwest at 10,000 feet mean sea level. He crossed the mountain pass between 700 and 1,000 feet above ground level climbing slowly. Once on the west side of the pass, approaching the base of some cliffs, they encountered a strong down draft and the airspeed dropped rapidly and the airplane started to descend. The pilot reports that he attempted to keep the airspeed at 85 knots and climb but, that the airplane continued to lose altitude. He checked the engine instruments and did not note any degradation of engine performance. The airplane continued to descend. The pilot executed a forced landing in approximately the center of the valley ahead of them. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures. Based on the temperature and pressure readings from the closest weather reporting station, the density altitude at the accident site was about 9,200 feet.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-28 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Dec 2009 | Piper PA-28-140 | Heflin, Alabama, United States | John Gilbert | Fatal | 1 |
| 27 Dec 2009 | Piper PA-28-180 | Alexandria, Louisiana, United States | Jack Bradley McCullough | No injuries | - |
| 18 Oct 2009 | Piper PA-28-181 | Oliver Springs, Tennessee, United States | OAK Ridge Flyers Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Jul 2009 | Piper PA-28-181 | Metaline Falls, Washington, United States | Plus One Flyers | No injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 2009 | Piper PA-28 | Darlington, South Carolina, United States | Skyline Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jan 2009 | Piper PA-28-151 | Powder Springs, Tennessee, United States | Warrior Aviation LLC | Fatal | 2 |
All 9,402 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 2009 | Cessna 172M | Thermopolis, Wyoming, United States | Round Top Flyers LLC | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 2009 | Gates Learjet LEARJET 55 | Casper, Wyoming, United States | Sunwest Aviation Ltd. | No injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 2009 | Piper PA-18-150 | Jackson, Wyoming, United States | Derek J. Craighead | No injuries | - |
| 10 Jun 2008 | Mooney M20J | Evanston, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 2010 | Holt Herbert L LONG EZ | Afton, Wyoming, United States | Holt Herbert L | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 2008 | Cessna 210 | Sheridan, Wyoming, United States | Daleray Madewell | No injuries | - |